Shandong Luneng coach Li Xiaopeng bounced back from Guangzhou Evergrande heartache as he steered his side to a 2-0 win over Beijing Guoan, which saw the Chinese Super League (CSL)  frontrunner's advantage slashed to only two point on Sunday night. 

The game at the Jinan Olympic Sports Center Stadium lived up to its billing as a meeting of two in-form powerhouses with both sides showing that for all their flick combination play, they can dig deep in a high-octane battle when so much is on the line. 

Guoan dominated from the start and Luneng was given an early warning when Wang Ziming, who had already seen an effort saved by Wang Dalei, tested the goalkeeper with an effort from a tight angle.  

However, it was Luneng who took advantage of sloppy defending to break the stalemate before the half-hour mark when Zhang Chi found Roger Guedes on the edge of the box and the Brazilian exploited the gap between Guoan's centerbacks with a fierce drive that fired past Zou Dehai.

The hosts were not finished, however, and doubled their advantage two minutes later as Hao Junmin made a brilliant solo run to lead a swift counter-attack from midfield and fed Guedes on the left, the 22-year-old striker completing his brace with a cushioned volley. 

Guoan responded strongly and almost reduced the gap five minutes before the break but Jonathan Viera's brilliant long-range effort hit the woodwork and Wang Gang's attempt from the rebound was blocked before the ball was finally saved. 

Roger Schmidt's team brought on Zhang Yuning on the hour mark to try to inspire a second-half comeback, but a ruthless display from Brazilian defender Gil, who played his final game for Luneng after agreeing a deal to return to Corinthians, ensured Guoan suffered their first loss in five games.

This setback punctured the cautious optimism building at Guoan, who had been on a roll since losing to Shanghai SIPG in late May, that they could win the top prize in Chinese football for the first time in 10 years.

Elsewhere, SIPG recorded another slender win to leapfrog Guangzhou Evergrande to move within two points of league leaders Guoan.  

The defending champions struggled to get past a well-organized Shenzhen side in the first half after Hulk missed a penalty early on but broke the deadlock immediately after halftime as former Chelsea star Oscar scored the only goal with a composed finish.  

Meanwhile, substitute Zhang Lingfeng scored a dramatic last-gasp equalizer as Jiangsu Suning fought back twice to claim a 2-2 draw away to Tianjin Tianhai

Zhang's first CSL goal came two minutes from time, just after it looked like a wondrous strike from Tianhai's Renatinho, who had also come off the bench, had given the hosts victory. 

The drama began when Alex Teixeira scored his 10th goal in 15 Suning appearances to cancel out Alan's opener, Zhang ultimately having the last word after Renatinho had struck after the hour mark.